* Colt Stephens wins weekend of second-gen drive
rs
** Koehler family nets 3 wins in 3 cities
*** Daron Basl wins high-flying final in West Plains
CURRENT STANDINGS and WEEKEND RESULTS (PDF): https://tinyurl.com/tyhup3t9
===== WEEKEND RECAP FOR JULY 30th – AUGUST 8th, 2024 =====
Our apologies for the late post this week. Life was busy. So were the monster trucks! There were 55 events this past week which makes it the busiest week of the year (so far). In fact, we’ve have 50+ events for the past 5 consecutive weeks! Thank you to everyone who has helped us with reporting events this year, and special thanks to those who reported results to us this weekend: Sean Green, Josh Baumgartner, Ethan Jones, Max Gillie, Preston Perez, Chris Yuhas, Mark Werner, Mike Bevacqua, Bryan Wagner, Nate Bay, Steve Parry, Tim Howard, Rob Poutre, David Rife, J.r. Rouse, Lee Collins, Kirk Nagy, Phil Vicinanza, and everyone who posted videos and photos online!
Colt Stephens won twice on Newark (including the Saturday night tie-breaker over Triton Robbins) in a field that featured some of the best second-generation drivers in the sport. Speaking of families, the whole Koehler clan—Jim, Chris, and Jon—picked up wins this weekend in three different cities, including Chris’s big win at West Lebanon. Preston Perez and Cory Snyder aren’t technically family, but as teammates meeting for the 10th time head-to-head this season it probably feels that way. Preston won that race on the 2nd night of action in West Leb.
We also saw high-flying action in West Plains where Daron Basl soared by Dalton Widner for a win. Peter Nyman tried doing the same thing during the Swedish big truck races but got a bit more air than the track could handle and let Kewin Harrysson power past for his first win.
This week has 55 events! That’s the most of any week this season, so you’re gonna have to keep reading to hear about all the rest. It’s way too much to summarize.
===== CURRENT STANDINGS =====
RANK : DRIVER : PTS/AVG : SCORE : RACES/WINS
-----------------------------------------------------------
1 ) Ryan Anderson - 10539/319.36 : 2+1=3 : 33/16
2 ) Tyler Menninga - 11238/234.13 : 1+2=3 : 48/27
3 ) Adam Anderson - 8777/230.97 : 4+3=7 : 38/10
4 ) Tristan England - 6658/229.59 : 9+4=13 : 29/8
5 ) Zack Garner - 6997/159.02 : 6+8=14 : 44/14
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6 ) Armando Castro - 8025/143.3 : 5+12=17 : 56/13
7 ) Dalton Widner - 10015/137.19 : 3+16=19 : 73/30
8 ) Camden Murphy - 5769/206.04 : 16+5=21 : 28/6
9 ) Weston Anderson - 6669/138.94 : 8+14=22 : 48/16
10) Mikeal Christensen - 6551/142.41 : 10+13=23 : 46/10
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11) John Gordon - 5552/185.07 : 18+6=24 : 30/3
12) Colt Stephens - 6001/127.68 : 11+19=30 : 47/4
13) Jack Brown - 5802/134.93 : 14+17=31 : 43/13
14) Jon Zimmer Jr - 5651/137.83 : 17+15=32 : 41/23
15) Daron Basl - 5909/125.72 : 12+21=33 : 47/14
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16) Bari Musawwir - 6975/105.68 : 7+28=35 : 66/10
17) Todd LeDuc - 4148/148.14 : 28+10=38 : 28/1
18) David Olfert - 5814/105.71 : 13+27=40 : 55/8
19) Coty Saucier - 3712/161.39 : 35+7=42 : 23/8
20) Rob Poutre - 5086/118.28 : 21+23=44 : 43/18
===== BIGGEST GAINS =====
+10 – Bill Payne (Rock Star) – 24th
+7 – Colt Stephens (ThunderROARus) – 12th
+7 – Brandon Derrow (Bad News Travels Fast) – 57th
+6 – Michael Vaters II (Overkill Evolution) – 32nd
+5 – Fernando Martinez (El Toro Loco) – 41st
+4 – Triton Robbins (Krazy Train) – 40th
+4 – Chris KoehlerI (Avenger) – 55thd
NEW – Cliff Vowell (Virginia Giant) – 82nd
NEW – Colton Kiser (American Scout) – 93rd
NEW – Marc Simonin (NAPA Autocare) – 98th
===== AUGUSTA, NJ =====
This KSR Motorsports event did not include side-by-side racing and so points were not awarded
===== BELVIDERE, IL =====
This Boone County Fair event did not include side-by-side racing and so points were not awarded
===== BRAINERD, MN =====
7/30 Tue Aft: We do not have results from this event
7/30 Tue Ngt: MIKE ROWLEY [Bearly Tame] defeated Austin Spence [Boss Gator]
Mike Rowley picked ups his 4th win of the season on a slippery drag track in Brainerd. He has 16 events scored and needs just 4 more to make the standings.
===== CLEAR BROOK, VA =====
7/30 Tue Ngt: BRANDON DERROW [Bad News Travels Fast] defeated Jim Koehler [Avenger]
Brandon Derrow pulls off a big drag racing win over veteran Jim Koehler at the Performance Motorsports event in Clear Brook. That’s Derro’w 9th win of the season and helped him be one of the biggest gainers this week as he moved up 7 spots in the rankings.
===== COOKEVILLE, TN =====
8/3 Sat Ngt: RYAN HOLMAN [Amped Up] defeated David Rife [Awesome Kong]
Ryan Holman won his first MTRL event of the season and 5th overall in Cookeville. He’s had a lot of non-points this event this season which has kept his points total down but has won nearly half of his brackets.
===== CRESCENT CITY, CA =====
8/4 Sun Ngt: DONALD EPIDENDIO [Titan] defeated Nick Jones [Spitfire/Rage In A Cage]
We were talking about Donald Epidendio left and right at the start of this year. He started the rankings in 11th place, but slowly fell due to running fewer events. He’s still winning when he runs, though, and has won 7 of his 12 events, including this small four-trucker in Crescent City.
===== CROTON, OH =====
8/7 Wed Ngt: PRESTON PÉREZ [Toxic] defeated Cliff Vowell [Virginia Giant]
He was (tied for) the winningest man in the sport 2 years ago but Preston Perez was saddled with a slew of non-points event this season and is fighting to climb back up in the standings. His win in Croton gives him 11 wins this season. He has advanced to the finals in 8 of his last 10 brackets, too. Cliff Vowell joins the rankings for the first time this week and competed in his 8th final due to Krazy Train’s breakage.
===== CROWN POINT, IN =====
8/2 Fri Ngt: JON ZIMMER JR [Terminal Velocity] defeated Jon Zimmer Sr [Uproar]
8/3 Sat Ngt: JON ZIMMER SR [Uproar] defeated Byron Cadigan [Carolina Crusher]
8/4 Sun Aft: JON ZIMMER SR [Uproar] defeated Brett Falvey [USA-1]
Early July was tough on Jon Zimmer Sr who was eliminated in the first round in 5 of 6 events, but he has recently returned to his early-season form with 3 wins in his last 5 events. The only one faster than him at the All Star race in Crown Point was his son, but Jon Jr has mechanical problems beginning on Saturday which knocked him out of racing.
===== DUNBAR, PA =====
7/31 Wed Ngt: JON KOEHLER [Brutus] defeated Jim Koehler [Avenger]
Jon Koehler is learning to fill the big shoes of his father behind the wheel of a monster truck and he showed his progress with a win over the old man in Dunbar this past weekend. That’s Jon’s 2nd win of the season and it evens the series against his father at 1 win a piece.
===== ESCANABA, MI =====
This Armageddon On Wheels event did not include side-by-side racing and so points were not awarded
===== EVANS MILLS, NY =====
8/3 Sat Aft: ROB POUTRE [Bounty Hunter] defeated Dawn Creten [Scarlet Bandit]
8/4 Sun Aft: ROB POUTRE [Bounty Hunter] defeated Dawn Creten [Scarlet Bandit]
Rob Poutre went all of July without any brackets as the west coast swing with WGAS was all freestyle and he did not tour with 2Xtreme on their Canadian trip. But back behind the wheel in Evans Mills and Rob quickly add 2 wins to his total and maintains his Top 20 ranking.
===== FRONT ROYAL, VA =====
This Warren County Fair event did not include side-by-side racing and so points were not awarded
===== GLENDALE, AZ =====
This Hot Wheels Live event did not include side-by-side racing and so points were not awarded
===== GREENVILLE, SC =====
This Hot Wheels Live event did not include side-by-side racing and so points were not awarded
===== HIBBING, MN =====
8/2 Fri Ngt: MIKE ROWLEY [Bearly Tame] defeated Paul Craighead [Boss Gator]
8/3 Sat Aft: We do not have results from this event
8/3 Sat Ngt: We do not have results from this event
Mike Rowley grabbed another win on the Monster X Tour and luckily for him it was the only result we were able to get from Hibbing. We know that Saturday got muddy but that’s about it. If you have any info from Hibbing please let us know!
===== LAGRANGE, KY =====
7/30 Tue Ngt: ROGER GAUGER [Bigfoot] defeated Chris Rogers [Hoosier Daddy]
The Cretens used to run a truck called Jekyll & Hyde and that name could apply to Roger Gauger this summer. He is winless in 5 races with his Bootlegger body (including 3 first round loses) but has won 8 times when running the Bigfoot blue. He has 19 scored races and so he’ll join the standings after his next event and finally get The Original Monster Truck on the scoreboard.
===== LAWRENCESBURG, IN =====
8/3 Sat Ngt: RANDY BARTON [Bugzilla] defeated Roger Gauger [Bootlegger]
Randy Barton doesn’t run the Bugzilla truck a whole lot—he was off all of July—but he’s been finding more and more success when he does. After 3 runner-up efforts, he finally grabbed his first win of the season on a no-ramp holeshot track at Lawrenceburg Speedway.
===== LITTLE VALLEY, NY =====
8/2 Fri Ngt: MICHAEL VATERS II [Overkill Evolution] defeated Michael Vaters I [Black Stallion]
8/3 Sat Ngt: MICHAEL VATERS II [Overkill Evolution] defeated Michael Vaters I [Black Stallion]
The Kwasniewskis stole the spotlight in Little Valley, New York by debuting the fully-restored Buffalo Tremor II truck and it looked immaculate! At least until Johnny K IV busted the front axle, but we’re glad to see this classic piece out running hard again just like it did in the 1990s. The points for this one, though, all went to the Vaters clan with Mikey picking up another pair of wins. That’s 3-in-a-row for the second generation driver and gives him 16 wins in 23 events.
===== MALONE, NY =====
8/7 Wed Ngt: FRANK KRMEL [Hooked] defeated Alex Bardin [Stone Crusher]
Frank Krmel might be trailing the head-to-head with teammate Alex Bardin 4-12 this season but he got the last laugh on Wednesday as he beats out the young gun on the Versus Monster Trucks tour. That’s his 3rd win of the season.
===== MINERAL POINT, WI =====
8/7 Wed Ngt: TOMMY VARILONE [Rampage] defeated Rob Poutre [Boss Gator]
Tommy Varilone doesn’t lose too much in the Rampage truck. Of his events that we have reports for, he’s only missed the finals twice in his past 10 tries. He wins in Mineral Point over Rob Poutre who was a surprise guest behind the wheel of Boss Gator.
===== MONROE, MI =====
8/2 Fri Ngt: CALEB KEYES [Catty Wampus] defeated Brandon Overmyer [American Outlaw]
A big win for Caley Keyes in Catty Wampus as he powered through a soupy, muddy track in Monroe to claim his first win of the season in only his 2nd race. Brandon Overmyer in the diesel American Outlaw was a close 2nd for the second time this year. This event also saw 50 year old Curt Grant get a turn behind the wheel of Black Widow.
===== NASHVILLE, TN =====
This Hot Wheels Live event did not include side-by-side racing and so points were not awarded
===== NEWARK, NJ =====
8/2 Fri Ngt: COLT STEPHENS [ThunderROARus] defeated Zack Garner [Wild Side]
8/3 Sat Aft: TRITON ROBBINS [Krazy Train] defeated Fernando Martinez [El Toro Loco]
8/3 Sat Ngt: COLT STEPHENS [ThunderROARus] defeated Triton Robbins [Krazy Train]
The next generation of monster truckers was on full display at the only side-by-side Monster Jam racing this weekend. Colt Stephens grabbed two wins and to double his win total and moved up a huge 7 spots into 12th place! The Robbins family returned to Monster Jam and saw Triton in Krazy Train get his first racing win and also a runner-up finish in the rubber match against Stephens on Saturday night. Reigning Monster Jam World Finals champion Zack Garner was also in the field and added a runner-up finished on Friday. Surprising to say it, but fellow second-generation driver Adam Anderson struggled and did not make it past the semi-finals all weekend. That actually allowed Tyler Menninga to pass him in Average points and moved Menninga a little bit closer to Ryan Anderson for the World #1 ranking.
===== OAKLAND, CA =====
This Monster Jam Arena series event did not include side-by-side racing and so points were not awarded
===== ORLANDO, FL =====
This Monster Jam Arena series event did not include side-by-side racing and so points were not awarded
===== POST FALLS, ID =====
8/2 Fri Ngt: We do not have results from this event
8/3 Sat Ngt: BILL PAYNE [Rock Star] defeated Eric Swanson [Obsessed]
Good news and bad news for the Malicious Tour this weekend. The bad news is that we only have results from one night of racing in Post Falls (which I think was Saturday night) and that’s extra sad since this event has 10 trucks. The good news is that we do have one night which Bill Payne won, and we also found an old bracket from Stockton, California from back in May that we were able to score, so Bill Payne still gained 2 wins this weekend and moved up a whopping 10 spots as a result!
===== RICHMOND, IL =====
This private event did not include side-by-side racing and so points were not awarded
===== SAUK RAPIDS, MN =====
7/31 Wed Ngt: STANLEY HERNANDEZ [Lone Wolf] defeated Paul Strong [Quad Chaos]
Stanley Hernandez scored his 10th win of the season over Paul Strong in Sauk Rapids. Strong was looking strong until the truck gave out in the final round. Hernandez was smooth and steady on the two-jump track and gains a spot in the rankings.
===== SPANISH FORK, UT =====
8/2 Fri Ngt: JACOB LADWIG [Rat Attack] defeated Mikeal Christensen [Vendetta]
The Insanity Tour has a small but stacked field of trucks in Spanish Fork. Jacob Ladwig now has a 3-race winning streak after he defeated not only the Monster Jam World Finals LCQ winner David Olfert in the first round, but then bested the LCQ runner-up Mike Christensen in the finals!
===== SPRINGFIELD, IL =====
8/8 Thu Ngt: BRAD SHIPPERT [Against The Grain] defeated RJ Turner [War Wizard]
Brad Shippert is another one who does not run a heavy schedule but who is still making good progress on track. He won his first of the year in Springfield with Monsters of Destruction.
===== SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA =====
This Hot Wheels Live event did not include side-by-side racing and so points were not awarded
===== TÖCKSFORS, SWEDEN =====
8/3 Sat Aft: KEWIN HARRYSSON [Oden] defeated Edvin Borjesson [Reckless]
8/4 Sun Aft: PETER NYMAN [Thor] defeated Edvin Borjesson [Reckless]
Monsterrace went to the Wild West Raceway for the first time and saw some great action from their three classes of off road racers. The highlight for many was Peter Nyman’s full-send on the penultimate jump in his semi-final round loss to eventual winner Kewin Harrysson. Nyman briefly grabbed the lead in the air with his move but cased the final jump which let fast-qualifier Harrysson drive by. Nyman would return on Sunday to get his 3rd win of the season and he leads the Swedish point series.
===== WASHINGTON, MO =====
8/8 Thu Ngt: ROGER GAUGER [Bigfoot] defeated Dalton VanSkyock [Stomper]
Lots of close racing for the Full Throttle series in Washington and they had a packed house to watch it. Roger Gauger took Bigfoot past Stomper for the 5th time in 6 races this season.
===== WEST LEBANON, NY =====
8/2 Fri Ngt: CHRIS KOEHLER [Avenger] defeated James Calhoun [Dirt Crew]
8/3 Sat Ngt: PRESTON PÉREZ [Toxic] defeated Cory Snyder [Illuminator]
The marquee event of the weekend was at the historic Lebanon Valley Speedway and the three-jump drag racing was fast and furious as always. Slick conditions has the drivers fighting the wheel through the weekend. Chris Koehler won on Friday night in a field of strangers, if you will. Every match-up was the first meeting of the two drivers, except for Preston Perez and Joe Foley racing head-to-head for the 2nd time this season. The Saturday night race two guys very familiar with each other in the finals as teammates Preston Perez and Cory Snyder met up for the 10th time this season. Perez leads the series now 9-1 as he continues to thrive behind the wheel of Toxic. His semi-final race against Chris Koehler was particularly fun to watch as both drivers showed great speed and control on the slick track and the race was decided by inches.
===== WEST PLAINS, MO =====
8/2 Fri Ngt: MARC MCDONALD [Dirt Crew] defeated Daron Basl [Block Head]
8/3 Sat Ngt: DARON BASL [Block Head] defeated Dalton Widner [Jurassic Attack]
Daron Basl grabs a win and runner-up with the Toughest Tour in West Plains. These guys were airing it out like no other on the fast Chicago-style track! It was obvious that this tour is one that takes racing seriously and that’s why this was one of the highest-rated events of the weekend. Marc McDonald made a cameo in Dirt Crew and won his 4th. He’s only raced in 11 brackets this season and so is not yet ranked. On the polar opposite of that is Dalton Widner, the Saturday runner-up, who was raced in 73 (!) brackets which is the most of any driver in the sport.
===== WOODSTOCK, IL =====
8/1 Thu Ngt: PAUL STRONG [Quad Chaos] defeated Colton Kiser [American Scout]
Paul Strong is back behind the wheel and now has 3 wins this summer. Colton Kiser’s 5th final round of the season was also his 20th race and put the American Scout in the rankings for the first time in 93rd.
===== EVENTS THIS WEEKEND =====
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